In June of this year, San Francisco disciples Rob and Mary Ellen Ynes traveled to Russia to meet Aliya, the little girl they plan to adopt. This is the second part of their story. Click here to read Part 1.

11:18PM, 8/29/02, Foster City, near San Francisco
"We're Going Back to Russia--Trip Number 2"

Hello Everyone!

By now some of you have heard that we finally "got the call" to go back to Russia to pick up Aliya.  Yes, the call came last Monday, and we are set to leave on Friday, September 6th.  Tickets have been purchased, hotel reservations have been made, and visas are being processed.  But we have not yet begun to pack!

It's been a little more than two months since we first met Aliya, and today she is 14 months old.  We are beside ourselves with excitement (and of course a little nervous, too) getting everything ready to travel again.
 
While overseas, our schedule will look something like this:
 
Sept. 6-7--Fly to Moscow
Sept. 7-8--Stay overnight in Moscow
Sept. 8--Fly to Ekaterinburg
Sept. 9-11--Visit Aliya in the orphanage
Sept. 12--Court date; appear before the judge in Ekaterinburg
Sept. 13-23--Mandatory 10-day waiting period (unless waived by the judge, which, unfortunately, is rare).  During this time we can visit with Aliya as much as we want, but we can't have her with us outside the orphanage. We will get to know Ekaterinburg very well, I'm sure!
Sept. 23--Court decision, signing of final adoption paperwork, and Aliya is finally ours and will come to stay with us in the hotel.
Sept. 24--Apply for Aliya's passport
Sept. 27--Pick up passport and fly to Moscow
Sept. 28-29--Visit/tour Moscow
Sept. 30--Aliya goes for a final medical exam in Moscow
Oct. 1--Pick up Aliya's visa and sign paperwork at US embassy
Oct. 2--Fy home to San Francisco
 
Yes, it's going to be a long, but very worthwhile trip!  We are staying at a different (Russian) hotel from our last trip there in June and won't have on-site Internet access. But we will be able to use local Internet cafes and computer facilities at a nearby hotel, so we'll plan to stay in touch every few days.
 
Again, thanks to all of you for your support during this exciting time in our lives.  Next stop, Ekaterinburg!
 
Rob & Mary Ellen

5:30PM, 9/12/02 Ekaterinburg
"We Made It To Ekaterinburg and Met The Judge"

Hello everyone,

Well, we finally made it!  We're sitting in an Internet cafe in downtown Ekaterinburg, just a 10-minute walk from our hotel.  The hotel is very nice and in fact does have newly-established Internet access--but the dial-up hasn't worked for three days, hence the delay in contact.  I've been working on this e-mail for three days now (!) but kept getting kicked off the dial-up modem and have lost much of my text each time...ah, technology!

Our flight to and 24-hour stay in Moscow was fine and uneventful.  We stayed again at the Arbat hotel, within walking distance of lovely shops and cafes.  We enjoyed a nice Italian meal outdoors the first night, Saturday night, which was balmy and 65 degrees (F).  The only inconvenience in Moscow was the fact that forest fires outside the city had been burning for several weeks and thick, hazy smoke covered the city.  We couldn't see 200 yards in front of us while walking down the street, and it was difficult to breathe and sleep.  All of our clothes soon smelled like we'd been camping.

We rose on Sunday at 4:00AM and were the first guests at breakfast.  We strolled around the old Arbat district, met some Russian friends for coffee, and then headed to the airport to take the 2.5-hour flight to Ekaterinburg.  We arrived late evening, grabbed some bread, cheese & fruit from the 24-hour supermarket located right next door to the hotel (also very nice) and turned in for the night.

Monday morning we were met again by Sergei, our driver, and Vika, our interpreter, and headed to the orphanage.  The reunion with Aliya was a very happy one--she seemed to remember us and came to us immediately.  Fall has arrived in Ekaterinburg and most of the kids in the orphanage have colds, coughs and runny noses, and baby Aliya is no exception.  But despite not feeling well, she was energetic, now walking completely on her own and ready to play.  She hasn't grown much, but has a little more hair!  She has such a precious little personality, smiles and babbles a lot, and seems to socialize well with the other children.

These past few days are a bit of a blur as our routine has become to awaken between 4:00-5:00AM, try to linger in bed until 6:00, and then head downstairs for another wonderful continental breakfast of eggs, fresh fruit, strong coffee, and a delicious variety of cheeses, meats, and breads. Now that Aliya is one year old, her naptime is from 10:00AM-12:00 noon, so our visits during this trip are limited to the afternoon.  We've been to see her every day so far from about noon to 4:00PM, and each time she seems to grow more familiar and attached to us.  She loves to be held, and we think this is especially because she's not feeling well and just wants to be comforted.  So, we're enjoying lots of hugs and snuggling--as well as playing with the orphanage toys, slides, etc.  We brought a number of new toys to keep her occupied on the upcoming airplane trip, so we're introducing them one by one each time we see her.

Today, 9/12, was our long-awaited court hearing.  We met with Igor, our adoption agency representative, as well as Vika, yesterday to prepare for the questions the judge might ask, and today went very smoothly with no surprises.  The small 15' X 15' courtroom was sparse, and we sat on straight wooden chairs in front of the regional judge of Ekaterinburg.  He was dressed in traditional court garb, a long black robe, and had a very solemn look about him.  Other 'officials' present included the state social worker, the court reporter, and the prosecutor.  Vika was by our side for translation during the entire hearing.

I was asked to speak/answer the first set of questions--but it turned out I did 95% of the talking for the nearly one-hour of grilling!  Rob got off pretty easy with only two questions and then was told to sit down.  The questions were pretty standard, and the primary purpose was to make sure that all of the statements we'd made in our formal "dossier" documents matched with our verbal account.  Once we were finished, Vika said we'd done just fine.  It turns out, though, that this judge never waives the formidable 10-day waiting period and therefore it was declared that we would go back to court for the "final decision" on Monday, Sept. 23.  At that point we will secure Aliya's final adoption paperwork, apply for her passport, and prepare to head to Moscow.

So--now we have 10 days to "hang out" in Ekaterinburg, Russia!  The good news is that there really are plenty of things to do and explore (there are lots of museums, tours in English, shops, and a year-round circus right across the street from our hotel).  The other good news is that we just found out today that we are now allowed to take Aliya out of the orphanage and have her with us during the day, until about 7:00PM!  We bought an umbrella stroller the other day so are now just waiting for her cold to get better so we can get out and about with her.  The temperature has dropped over the past day or so and it's raining, so we also need to find some warmer clothes to bundle her up.  Some of you remember my recounting that the Russian children wear 2-3 layers, boots, mittens--and always a HAT!!  We are just excited to be able to do things as a family and not be confined to that one 'music room,' the visiting room at the orphanage.

Well, I'd better sign off now.  Sorry for the lengthy note!  Hopefully we'll make our way back to this cafe on the weekend and will give you another update.

We're thinking of and missing you all!

Rob, Mary Ellen & Aliya

9:00PM, 9/16/02, Ekaterinburg
"Feeling More At Home"

Hello again, everyone.

It's Monday evening in Ekaterinburg and we've made our way back to the local Internet cafe.  I left off last Thursday night after the court hearing...

Since then, we've had a wonderful time exploring the city, both with Aliya and on our own.  Although the temperature dropped considerably on Friday (it was a very damp 30 degrees F), we managed to walk for nearly four hours throughout the city, through several parks, passing the requisite monuments of Lenin and others along the way. 

We discovered a wonderful open-air marketplace just five blocks from our hotel where they sell all sorts of clothing, household goods, film--you name it, they've got it--and cheap!  We hadn't packed for the really chilly weather, so we bought umbrellas ($7.00 ea), wool gloves ($1.75 ea), sweaters ($7.50 ea) and a matching hat/scarf/mittens for Aliya ($9.00).  What a bargain compared to the US!  We continue to find our way around the restaurant scene. 

Many places are designed for foreigners, complete with cheeseburgers and fries on the menu, which is in English, and the accompanying higher prices.  Although we've enjoyed two very good meals at such establishments--an Irish pub and an Italian trattoria--for the most part we've gravitated toward the cafeteria-style 'McPeak' and cafes that serve the local university students for a quarter of the price.  The university for mining and mineralogy is located right next to our hotel, so tonight we ate dinner among the students for 190 rubles (approx. $7.00)--enjoying boneless chicken stuffed with bananas (or plantains), green beans, salad and mineral water.  Compare that to a very similar fare at the trattoria for $50!

We've had some other interesting dishes...pizza with sauerkraut, green beans, and corn, baked sea bass, complete with the fish head, eyes and teeth gawking back at me (!), and even 'Russian chicken McNuggets'--although they don't taste quite the same as MacDonald's.

Another adventure last weekend was taking the city trolley car around town for the first time.  We learned from another adoptive American couple that the #15 tram stops right outside the orphanage, so Sunday we decided to give Sergei and Vika the day off and venture out on our own.  At five rubles (18 cents) for a one-way ticket, you can't beat it!  The ride from our hotel took about 40 minutes, compared to the 30 minutes it takes by car.  We felt completely safe, and it was a great way to see the city and the people from an entirely different vantage point. 

Today was our first almost full day out of the orphanage with the baby.  It was a sunny, crisp autumn day, perfect for a stroll in the park.  After lunch, we took Aliya from the orphanage for what was her second ride in a car.  We understand she was in a car once to go the hospital for a check-up, but otherwise hasn't been outside the grounds of the orphanage at all.  She was very quiet sitting on my lap looking out the window, seemingly fascinated at the people, trees and buildings.  (By the way, unlike the US, kids in Russia aren't required to be in car seats unless they are sitting alone in the back--so we were told to 'just hold her').

Once at the hotel, we bundled her up and took her to the park across the street from our hotel, where she promptly fell asleep, as it was her naptime.  We tried to put her down in our room later, but there was far too much there for her to explore: the bathroom, dresser drawers, kitchenette, and all the mirrored closets!  We played in the room for another two hours until heading back to the orphanage--she has a 7:00PM bathtime/dinnertime curfew.  She did extremely well with us all day and continues to laugh, play, babble and give lots of hugs.  She is quite the little doll and we are captivated!

On the agenda for the rest of the week: we're going to try to take her to the zoo, plan to meet up again with some friends from our sister church here in Ekaterinburg, get tickets for the circus across the street from the hotel, and perhaps take a day trip (arranged by one of the other hotels and conducted in English) by bus outside the city and into the Ural mountains to learn more about the surrounding Sverdlosk region. We'll keep you posted.  Until then, paKA paKA! (= bye bye!)

Mary Ellen & Rob

9:42PM, 9/18/02, Ekaterinburg
"Adventures With Aliya"

Hello everybody,

It's a cloudy evening in Ekaterinburg and again we sit in the smoky, crowded Internet cafe, complete with blacklights and 12-20 year olds around us playing computer games.  Yes, we are the only adults here over 20!

Well, we've now had Aliya with us four full days and it's getting easier and more fun each time as we get to know each other, our likes, dislikes, and establishing a routine outside of the orphanage.  We are picked up daily by Sergei at 8:30AM to retrieve Aliya and return her each night by 7:00PM.  Essentially, once we get there in the morning, the caregivers disrobe her (she doesn't wear diapers at the orphanage as they're too expensive) and let us don Pampers and dress her up to go for the day.  We're having fun fitting her with the outfits that many of you gave us a few weeks back--thank you, again!

We've done a fair bit of walking--at least 3-4 hours each day--taking her out to eat, shopping, and strolling through the streets and parks.  We met friends from church for lunch yesterday, a young couple with a four- and a one-year-old.  We chose a family-friendly semi-fast-food joint as Aliya's very first restaurant experience, and she did just great!  They had a special area for kids sectioned off with colorful decorations, a big fish tank, and plenty of high-chairs. She was fascinated with the fish and the lively restaurant music.  When she hears any music playing she twists both little hands as if conducting an orchestra--something we think she learned in the Music Room while listening to the music in the orphanage--quite adorable! She eats just about anything we put in front of her, and yesterday was no exception:  she had bits of chicken nuggets, boiled potatoes, a little rice, and cherry juice.  She is a very good and happy eater!

We have managed, too, to get her to maintain her nap schedule (10:00AM-12:00noon and 4:00-6:00PM) by putting her down in our king-sized bed at the hotel, surrounded by lots of pillows.  When she's not sleeping, we're exploring with her in her stroller, which she seems to love.  When her little feet are kicking freely and she's chanting "dya dya dya" we know she's content.

Now that we've been here 10 days, both Rob & I have made some random observations re: the people, sights and sounds of Ekaterinburg that we thought we'd share:

Just about everyone wears black shoes and black leather jackets, which is the only thing we're 'in sync' with here in Ekaterinburg.  Otherwise, we're sure we stand out as Americans, judging from the way people look at us.

We have been literally all over the city by car and/or tram by now, and we've not seen ONE gas station.  We think they must be located outside the city, perhaps close to the airport.

The water is definitely not drinkable to foreigners, as we were forewarned.  But unfortunately I had a soda pop the other night with two ice cubes in it, and I've suffered with stomach cramps for three days.

The Russian women put me to shame with their stylish garb and impeccable makeup!  I just may have to come home sporting an aqua, fur-lined leather jacket, plaid mini-skirt, three-inch heels, and ruby-red lipstick!  Well...maybe not.

There are no emissions controls here; the carbon monoxide fumes from the cars and buses are terrible, and unfortunately haven't helped my already sour stomach. With Americans' mentality of 'gotta have it yesterday' and 'everything on the go', we can definitely learn a few things from Russian values.  There are no Starbucks or any similar coffee take-out establishments--everyone sits in cafes to talk (and smoke) over their cappuccinos and cafe au laits before starting the day.  Businesses don't seem to open until 9:00 or 10:00AM.

Despite our very limited Russian (I think we're up to 25 words) most of the people are very sweet and try their best to communicate with high-school English--and a lot of sign language!

One final funny story:  Rob met up with Slava, our church friend, yesterday morning to check out an electronics store across town.  Rob thought they'd be hopping on the local tram and was ready with his five rubles in hand.  Once they met, Slava proceeded to the curb to flag down what Rob thought was a taxi...but no, he was flagging down cars to hitch a ride!  Since something like only 30-40% of the people own cars in Ekaterinburg, apparently it's common practice here to catch a ride with strangers who are looking to make a few extra rubles.  Rob and Slava (and two of Slava's friends) jumped into a gentleman's car to travel 15 minutes to this store, paying a total of 40 ($1.15) rubles for the favor!  Moral of the story: don't try this alone and hang with the locals!

1:00PM, 9/27/02, Moscow
"Coming Home!"

Hi everyone,

We arrived in Moscow late Wednesday evening.  Aliya did GREAT on her first airplane ride!  The 2.5-hour flight from Ekaterinburg was painless: she played on our laps for the first hour, ate for a half hour, and slept the final hour.  Hopefully that was a good omen for the up-coming 10-hour flight home.

The court decision in Ekaterinburg was successful and the paperwork both there and here have been processing ahead of schedule--so we'll be coming home four days sooner than planned!!  We changed our tickets from next Wednesday to tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 28th--so we'll be back home in San Francisco tomorrow evening!

Our last few days in Ekaterinburg were spent getting used to Aliya's nap and eating schedule.  It was very damp and wet so unfortunately we spent a lot of time in the hotel and at nearby restaurants, with no time for much more than that.  Here in Moscow we're staying at a very glitzy, Las Vegas-style hotel in the middle of town called the "Cosmos."  It's a little microcosm of fancy shops, casinos, restaurants, boutiques, etc.  Not exactly a place for children, but we've found that there are LOTS of families here on their way "back home" with adopted children.  We've met several couples from around the globe staying here waiting to complete paperwork.  Yesterday was Aliya's final medical appointment at the American Medical Clinic--and she passed very successfully.  After checking her over, Boris, the very kind pediatrician, said, "My only diagnosis is that you'll need to find a way to keep the boys away from this very cute girl!"

We are heading out in about an hour to go to the US embassy and then the consulate to process Aliya's final adoption documents and secure her visa.  After that, we're done and ready to pack for home!

We've now been here three weeks to the day.  Although it's been an amazing experience, we're quite ready to stop living out of suitcases, calculating in rubles, and eating out.  We can't wait to see many of you once we're home next week, and others who will come to visit over the next few months.

Thanks again for all the news and encouraging e-mails while we've been away.  Trip photos will follow shortly once we're settled.

Love,
Rob, Mary Ellen & Aliya

10:29PM, 10/16/02, Foster City, near San Francisco
"At Home-The Final Chapter"

Hello, everyone.

As promised, here is the final entry to our Russia Trip, Part #2 saga.  (A little later than I'd expected, but then again, what did I know before I had a 15-month-old running around?)

We've been home a little more than two weeks and, despite illness afflicting all of us (colds, ear and sinus infections, pink-eye) that took nearly a week to overcome, we are all happy and healthy and enjoying our new family.

Aliya has adjusted incredibly well to her new surroundings, continues to be very active and curious, and seems to love her new house, bedroom, and many new toys and friends.  Aliya is a very affectionate and happy little girl.  She reaches for Mom and Dad constantly, giving hugs and kisses, and loves to be held and rocked in the rocking chair.  She is very expressive and has said, "mama," "papa," "dada," baba," and "gaga."  She has a variety of funny facial expressions and noises.  She keeps us all very happy and amused!

Mary Ellen's parents arrived from Washington, DC on October 7 to meet and visit for a week with Aliya, their first grandchild!  They fell in love with her immediately and she seemed to reciprocate the love and affection.  Of course, she was overly spoiled and didn't seem to mind a bit!  Many of you have come to visit, and Aliya has already met and played with several children in our neighborhood and through our church.  Rob's parents arrive from Chicago on October 20 for a seven-day visit with their new granddaughter as well.

Aliya has begun to take just one nap in the afternoon after lunch, sleeping from about 1:00-3:00PM each day.  She goes to bed between 8:00-8:30PM every night and wakes up on her own around 7:00AM.  Initially, with the time change and the new surroundings, she was waking up periodically during the night, but for the past ten days she has established a pretty good sleeping pattern overall. 

Aliya continues to eat almost everything put before her--and she has a very healthy appetite!  She loves pancakes, waffles, cereal, scrambled eggs and yogurt for breakfast, and eats a variety of baby turkey and chicken dogs, potatoes, vegetables, cheese and bread for other meals.  She especially loves fresh fruit like bananas, kiwi, and mashed peaches.  She drinks liquid yogurt, apple juice, pear juice and white grape juice--sometimes milk. She also loves cheese crackers and graham crackers at snack-time, and still has a sweet-tooth for chocolate.  (As we were running about doing errands today, she had her first MacDonald's "Happy Meal" of chicken McNuggets & fries and loved it, especially the free toy!)

Aliya had her first state-side pediatric appointment on October 14, her 15-month check-up.  She weighed in at 20 lbs 9 oz., 30 and ¼ inches long, and after performing a full physical exam the doctor said she seemed very healthy, active and on-target for a child her age.  Aliya also was given several vaccinations, which she braved with some short-lived tears. 

Rob's back to work and I head back at the beginning of November.  Although it will be difficult to leave her, we found a fantastic home daycare not far from home that will allow Aliya to get a lot of 1:1 attention.  The woman will care for her own two girls (2.5 years old and 10 months old), plus Aliya.  It's been wonderful having the time to explore the world through Aliya's eyes and experience so many "firsts" for her.  You'll see some of these in the attached post-trip photos.

Rob and I feel incredibly blessed to have Aliya as our daughter--she is more than we could have ever expected or imagined.  We hope she will, over time, be able to meet and spend time with each of you.  Thanks again for all the welcome-home e-mails, phone messages, gifts, and visits.

Love, Rob, Mary Ellen & Aliya